GTX 960 in HTPC for 1080 gaming and 4k video playback?

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AdamSulli

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Jan 23, 2015
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I'm finishing out my HTPC upgrade and need a new GPU. I want to get a card that will primarily be used to play 1080p & 4k content (especially 4k bluray when they drop), and also do some mild 1080p gaming. I'm not trying to play Crysis on this, I tend to play games like the Batman Arkham games, Bioshock, and my wife likes to play the Lego games together with me.

I've been looking at the Asus GTX 970 mini. The full size won't fit in my case. Now the GTX 960 is out and I'm wondering if this cheaper card fits my needs without complaint. Any thoughts?

My System:
i7 -4790k
Asus Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2 Mobo
16gb DDR3 1866 Ram
256gb Samsung 850 Pro ssd
Case: nMediapc HTPC 2000B

 
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Math Geek
the benchmarks show it will do exactly what you need it to. low power usage for the htpc side of it and good enough 1080p gaming to run most to high/ultra settings.

it will play back 4k video no problem but won't game that high at all.

i was not overly impressed with the card but for a low power htpc it would get the recommendation over the 280 which performs about the same but $20 cheaper yet uses a lot more power and produces much more heat. the $20 would be justified in your situation.
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Vlad Rose

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Apr 7, 2014
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It looks like the card didn't get a very favorable review compared to what it should have been. You may be better off holding off until the ti series comes.

Otherwise, it looks like it should be sufficient for 1080 gaming. The games you mentioned I know will work fine since I'm able to do 1080 with an AMD 7770; which is less powerful than the 960.
 
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Math Geek

Math Geek

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Oct 15, 2014
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the benchmarks show it will do exactly what you need it to. low power usage for the htpc side of it and good enough 1080p gaming to run most to high/ultra settings.

it will play back 4k video no problem but won't game that high at all.

i was not overly impressed with the card but for a low power htpc it would get the recommendation over the 280 which performs about the same but $20 cheaper yet uses a lot more power and produces much more heat. the $20 would be justified in your situation.
 
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Guest

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Both would be good enough for the task. I would recommend the mini GTX 970 because it would better suit your build. :)

Also, a question. Why on earth did you put a unlocked i7 4790K, 16 Gigs of RAM, a "Premium" motherboard and a "Pro" SSD in a HTPC ? :D An i5 4460 with 2x4GB RAM and a 256GB Crucial MX100 would do just FINE.

I mean, seriously, thats just wasting money if you`re just going to watch some films, surf the web, and play some games at ULTRA. If you didn`t buy these yet, great, then change your build.
 
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AdamSulli

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Jan 23, 2015
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Yeah this build is overkill. My wife bought me the components for Christmas. She wanted me to have a great system that I wouldn't want to upgrade for at least 5 years.

I use the system as really an all in one. It's main job is playback, but it does much more. I've got an infinitv card in it. I record shows, then use comskip+mcebuddy to strip commercials and transcode to mp4. I've got a couple of wd black 4tb drives to storage of those shows, blurays, music, photos, ect. It also acts as a media server to all my devices.

I chose the processor because I want the speed for the transcoding.
I chose the mobo for the quality and the warranty. 5 years of covered service is amazing.
16gb of Ram seems standard these days
The ssd I got on sale, and it's the best there is. The 850 pro will last forever.

At the end of the day, it's just preference. My last build was 6 years old before I was able to upgrade again. I went the cheap root then, because it was all I could afford. This time around I wanted to go high end.

As a bonus, in a few years when there are single cards that can do gaming at 4k 60fps, I can always upgrade.
 
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Guest

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@AdamSulli Well, fair enough. :) That build, as you said, has great upgrading potential. Enjoy your build and have fun. :D
 
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